At a crossroads

[WestCoastSVX]

After 8 years of enjoying my baby, she's getting a bit tired and really needs some TLC and restoration. I've previously only been able to afford to do the important things to keep her running as a daily driver but now several things have crept up and it's really time to get a lot of work done and spend a lot of money.

1992 LSL 209,000 miles
- (update) Blown Headgasket
- (update) Cracked engine and tranny mounts
- Front seals leaking heavy
- Valve covers leaking medium
- Tranny works good but fluid needs replacing ASAP - filters maybe too?
- Suspension is all original and the rear sags low - handling isn't what it should be
- All brake rotors/pads need replacing - have new parts, but labor is $200+
- CE light is on, code reads PCV valve but a new one didn't work
- Timing belt, pulleys, water pump, all have AT LEAST 100,000 miles on them, possible twice that?
* Paint has lots of chips and faded spots
* Several small dents and dings and one long one across back quarter panel
* Front bumper and 1 fender damaged - have new parts, but not painted
* General bumps and rattles after 209,000 miles

So.......

I have been granted a small amount of money towards my half of the garage, somewhere around $5,000.

This gives me a couple of options:

Fix up my original SVX
Pros:
- I'm very attached to it, I'm sure you can all understand, it's my first one and has been through a lot with me in the last 8 years
- Less money, probably would only spend half the budget fixing all the mechanical issues
Cons:
- I have not been given the go-ahead to get any bodywork done*, so the car would be mechanically sound but still have the damaged front end and other dents for the rest of its life
- At the end of the day it would still have 209,000 miles, for what's that worth as far as value, future problems, etc
- Auto seatbelts and single airbag

Find a 94+ with half the mileage in good condition
Pros:
- Hopefully no immediate repairs and lots of time for them to come up one at a time
- Body/paint condition that I can be proud of for a long time to come with only minor touch ups now and then
- 94+ seatbelts, airbag, etc
- I rode in a 94 and a 95 SVX this last weekend and both seem so much smoother and better operating then mine ever did, even in its prime, or any other 92 I've driven for that matter. Are the later years put together better?
Cons:
- Will use up all of the budget, if I can even find one with my criteria for that in the first place
- My car may be hard to sell for a decent price
- Loss of sentimental value

Buy something else
Thought about it, and for that price, I don't think anything will match the SVX, it really is a well rounded package of many, many good traits you want in a daily driver.

In a perfect world I'd just keep my SVX and buy a newer one. One to drive and one to s l o w l y fix up. But that's not an option allowed to me. Probably for my own good anyway.

Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to lay it all out clearly. This isn't a decision I'm taking lightly. Thanks!

[TomsSVX]

I vote to fix what you have... When buying a used car, you are buying used issues Unfortunately you can never know the full condition of the car w/o owning it driving it extended periods to check for any issues. So it may be that you blow the wad on a "nicer" car and find it has equal or more issues which in the long run will cost more than fixing yours...

Plus, sounds like you have all the body parts... Just have them pain matched and do the installation yourself

Tom

[Nevin]

I say fix the one you have. If you buy another one, you're probably just buying someone else's problems, and just getting another car that you don't know as well what all it's been through.

If you fix something of your own, it just kinda crosses one other thing off the "to-do" list, if you know what I mean.

Keep yours and keep on enjoying it.

[Subix]

1UP on fixing the one you have...

[ridered777]

Judges say... FIX!!

[ensteele]

Fix the one you have and do the maintenance on it. The engine still has many miles to go.

[WestCoastSVX]

I'm still hung up on the body condition. If you are all going to vote to keep it, I might just have to call Maaco!

[Stilor]

Concur on fixing the car. I bought an SVX in March, and despite looking/performing good on the test drive and no visible leaks when I looked at it, it already had required valve cover and front seals (done) and cam seal (just noticed, yet to be done). Aside from that, both front half-axles were replaced.

Your car may have defects, but at least you know them and can estimate the cost of fixing them. Buying another one is a lottery: you may win, but you're likely to lose.

[w261w261]

I gotta go against the flow here. Buy a lower-mileage one, one that someone else has put the money into. I have vivid memories of having been given a '67 Lincoln Continental convertible in the early 80's. It was worth about $3k at the time, and it had 160k. $9,000 and two years later, I had a 180,000 mile car, that I sold for....$2,800. You have to really love your car to just turn away from the economics of it, and yours seems like it needs a fair amount of work.

By way of comparison, I almost can't give away my son's '92 black, with 88k and nothing wrong with it. The body has some dings, and it has those nice Lexus SC400 18" wheels with $170 tires. No takers at $4,000, now it's on Craigslist for $3200 and I am getting some action. I'm not a SVX fan particularly (son's car), being partial to 3G Accords, but my experience with the SVX is that it is expensive to fix, and doesn't command much money in the marketplace. Therefore, I'd suggest you could do better by starting over.

[Earthworm]

I'm in the same boat as you. Mine's developing cancer but is mechanically fine. In one hand it would be cheaper to find a good shell and transplant my goodies but on the other hand I'd be parting out an SVX that can be saved.

[Mike621]

My 1992 Claret sat over a year half sanded with a flat tire, covered up in the driveway. When I finally had the resources, I went ahead and made it into the SVX I dreamt of having. It still is an ongoing project, but as my first, I feel I have done it justice, as over ten other SVXs have come and gone.

[WestCoastSVX]

Originally Posted by Mike621

My 1992 Claret sat over a year half sanded with a flat tire, covered up in the driveway. When I finally had the resources, I went ahead and made it into the SVX I dreamt of having. It still is an ongoing project, but as my first, I feel I have done it justice, as over ten other SVXs have come and gone.

See, I would love to be in that position. There is definitely something to be said about your first, and if I could I would park it, buy another one to drive (or even a Geo or something), and slowly start restoring it bit by bit as resources allow. It would be a no brainer.

But of course I've been given the "Two cars only in this family" rule, not to mention the "no budget for paint job" rule.

[jeffast]

i stand by fix what you have i just went through this with my claret when the motor seized i was gonna part it out, but then i realised that i have a deep sentimental attachment to the car, not to mention i know every problem it has, and i'd rather just stick with its demons and make it mechanically sound vrs buying one with no clue what is wrong with it. and hopefully fixing it.

[dcarrb]

Originally Posted by MacGyver

I'm still hung up on the body condition. If you are all going to vote to keep it, I might just have to call Maaco!

Rust would be the deal breaker. If the car is rust-free and hasn't been exposed to road salt, keep it. If it's rotting away, it will take major money to repair properly.

dcb

[WestCoastSVX]

Some updates - the car now has blown headgasket and also both the engine and tranny mounts are cracked and making a loud clunking sound when I make turns in parking lots.

The repair costs have just skyrocketed.